IWCE is part of the Informa Tech Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Save the Date for IWCE 2024 in Orlando, FL: March 25-28, 2024. Join our Mailing List for Updates!


Wildfire and All-Hazards Response and Public Safety Broadband – 2022 Season Review

Chris Baker  (Sr. Public Safety Advisor, First Responder Network Authority)

Sgt. Jason Matthews  (Emergency Management Bureau Sergeant, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, FL)

Kevin Nida  (Fire Battalion Chief (Ret.)/Senior Public Safety Advisory, First Responder Network Authority)

Andy Pichs  (Radio System Administrator E911, Douglas County, Georgia)

Matt Runyan  (Leader, Mission Readiness and Deployment, Cisco Crisis Response)

Chuck Macfarland  (Chief of Air Operations, City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department)

Location: N257

Date: Tuesday, March 28

Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Pass Type: All Access, Quick Pass Tuesday

Track: FirstNet, Broadband

Format: Panel Session

Vault Recording: TBD

Wildfires continue to burn at all-time highs. According to NIFC, there were 58,985 wildfires reported in 2021, burning 7,125,643 acres. In 2020, nearly 59,000 wildfires burned more than 10 million acres. This was the second-most acreage impacted in a year since 1960, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center for wildland fires. Technology can be a help, not a hindrance to managing this new paradigm.

The First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet Authority, engaged with wildland fire fighters and subject matter experts to analyze the use and value of public safety broadband in wildfires, operational gaps experienced by wildland firefighters and potential solutions to address those needs. During this session, learn more about input and the outcomes of those efforts from some of the firefighters who participated in this important research, including how this information applies to and validated the approach to an all-hazards response.